The Chinese plan to grow potatoes on the moon

Remember how the character of Matt Damon grew potatoes on Mars? Apparently, Chinese scientists were inspired by the movie "Martian" and also decided to grow potatoes. True, not yet on Mars, but on the Moon - as part of China's large lunar mission in 2018. And silkworms will help them in this.

Breath! Do not breath

For the first time in history, Chang'e-4's Chinese mission is supposed to make a soft landing on the far side of the moon. Initially, China stated that it was supposed to send a stationary lunar platform and a small lunar rover to the satellite. But it has recently been announced that the so-called “ecosystem” block will also fall on the moon.

Photo: © China Plus

This is an 18 by 16 cm cylinder, in which the seeds of potatoes and eggs of insects, including silkworms, are "packed". Project developers expect that when eggs develop into adult silkworms, they will be able to produce carbon dioxide, while potatoes will release oxygen. So, by “inhaling” and “exhaling”, together they will create a primitive closed ecosystem.

Potato Reality Show

In order for the venture to succeed, the cylinder will be prepared for a difficult lunar climate (the temperature on the satellite varies from -170 to 100 ° C). In addition, there is no atmosphere on the moon, so potatoes and silkworms will have to rely only on themselves, while the "ecosystem" will provide them with tightness and thermal insulation.

Inside the cylinder, artificial lighting from the battery will also work. In addition, the “ecosystem” will be monitored by cameras to which it is planned to open round-the-clock online access. Given that before this, plants in space were grown only in the orbit of the ISS, the growth of potatoes will be watched with such interest, which has never been noted before!